LETTERS: NCT, Sept. 8, 2012

You may quote me: "Barack Obama is our worst president since George Bush."

Jack Anderson

Oceanside

Unthinking voters will accept GOP lies

I just heard Sen. Rand Paul's speech at the Republican convention, and I am so angry that I ran to my keyboard to vent my spleen. He demonstrated such a level of ignorance about the meaning of the word "antecedent." I am appalled and insulted by his speech, in which he takes President Obama to task about the phrase "you didn't build that." Any high school student understands that the antecedent of that remark was "the infrastructure," not "the successful businesses."

I am appalled that a person who is in such an influential position in our Congress demonstrates such a level of ignorance. Or worse yet is the possibility that he does understand the basic English construction and is presenting it in his manner with the belief that I and other listeners who have finished high school would accept his premise. That is what is so insulting.

Aside from the technical ignorance, I am aware of the Republican policy of repeating their lies often enough in hopes that some unthinking voters will accept them.

Morry Shechet

Ocenaside

A bad situation made worse

I do not know whose idea it was to remove one left-turn lane from the southbound Douglas Avenue to the eastbound Mission Avenue. The morning commute is backed up from Mission to North River Road. Even the through traffic is backed up from Highway 76. Some are making (now) illegal left turns from the center lane that formerly was a legal turn ---- an accident waiting to happen.

Turning left with two lanes has never been easy ---- trying to avoid hitting the median curb on the inside lane while watching out for vehicles on one's right. However, what has happened is that a bad situation has been made worse ---- and dangerous.

From my view, what should have been done was to cut back the median curb six to 10 feet. With the limit line backed up, a more gradual left turn from the inside lane could be made with a more orderly two left-turn lanes.

John Raymond

Oceanside

Rice would have been better VP nominee

After watching the Republican National Convention, I could not help but feel that Condoleeza Rice would have made a much better running mate for Mitt Romney. What an admirable, eloquent and intelligent person.

Paul Ryan is clearly not ready to be a heartbeat away from becoming president. Perhaps she turned it down.

Frank Dati

Oceanside

Police should support Trust Act

I recently joined the peace march, hesitantly, because I feared it would be a police public relations stunt. I must say, though, I found it very inspiring to see so many families come out to march for peace. Marchers were exceptionally friendly and welcoming.

However, as an opponent of checkpoints and the Secure Communities program, I was disturbed by the article in the North County Times beforehand, which seemed to dismiss those of us who have criticism of these programs as totally negative and even as "outsiders" (
"Peace march aims to fight crime with message of unity," Aug. 24
).

In the process of getting signatures to ask the governor to sign the Trust Act, I have talked to many people in our community. Every person of color that I talked to had a story of suffering from being profiled by the police and ICE. They told stories of this also happening to friends and neighbors.

It would help if the police chief and his department would acknowledge that the checkpoints and collusion of the police with ICE have caused a lot of the community to feel profiled, mistrusted and viewed as outsiders.

It would be a good first step in rebuilding trust if the chief would urge the governor to sign the Trust Act.

Suzanne Berg

Pauma Valley

Council should be ashamed

We just learned about the proposed plan to replace our city parks maintenance employees with an outside commercial company. We were outraged that some council members would think of getting rid of these hard-working and dedicated people.

My family has lived across the street from McGee Park for almost 60 years. We see these people performing their jobs practically every day. They do an excellent job and obviously take pride in the work they do.

We have spoken to these workers to express our thoughts. One of them told me how long his family has been here and how proud he is of his city and the parks. He and his crew are proud of their work and it shows.

No outside company will provide the service and dedication that our own city employees provide. Those City Council members pushing for this plan should be ashamed of themselves for trying to balance the budget on the backs of the maintenance workers.

Alyce and Dan O'Reilly

Carlsbad

Audacity to ignore the truth

To Richard McDonnell (
Aug. 29
) and the perpetually blind left: It is not that I am in agreement with the plethora of tax loopholes, but I recognize that it is the tax code to be faulted, not the individual ---- inclusive of both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. There isn't a liberal I know of who has ever offered more money than the IRS demanded of him or her, yet the party continuously demonizes those who do not pay their "fair share."

Which is less "fair": the "rich" who, through legitimate tax breaks, are paying 50 percent of their intended tax burden, or the low-to-middle class households paying 0 percent of their tax burden? The left is always crying foul that the wealthy aren't beholden to their respective tax brackets, yet they never show dismay for the 46 percent who pay nothing in federal taxes.

So when Mr. McDonnnell says, "the Republicans scream 'class warfare,'" I would contend that, yes, the left has done a phenomenal job of creating class warfare by focusing on a single, misguided notion while ignoring the reality: that the majority of the population is under-contributing and almost half are paying nothing at all.

Jordan Kloos

Oceanside

Taxpayers support commercial fishing industry

Robert Germann's letter (
Aug. 30
) attempts to demonstrate how a local commercial fisherman created his own business solely on his own ("he did it"). It is obvious that Mr. Germann knows nothing about fishing in the ocean, or the history of commercial fishing off our shores since World War II.

The next time Germann eats fish, he should be pleased with how his tax dollars are used to ensure his inexpensive meal won't kill him.

Tony San Miguel

Vista

Lead in aviation gasoline

Sixteen years after the U.S. banned lead in automobile gasoline, the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Aviation Administration say they're still searching for a viable unleaded aviation gasoline, known as avgas.

Recently, the FAA announced its plan to find a nonleaded aircraft fuel for most private planes by 2018, to replace the current standard leaded fuel, 100LL. Lead in gasoline used in piston-engine planes is known to cause severe mental problems, especially in the brains of children.

The three Oceanside City Council members, Jerry Kern, Jack Feller and Gary Felien, are aware of this fact, but they continue to support the airport and the planned expansion activities. The proposed addition of flight schools, parachutists, airplane rides, etc. will increase traffic and lead fumes over your heads by a substantial amount.

Do these people have children and grandchildren? Sure. And do they live within a few miles of the local airport? We know the answer to that.

Someday, a substitute will be found for 100LL gasoline used in these planes. After all, it has only been 16 years. Until then, keep your kids inside.

Dale Osborn

Oceanside

Look at the record

Voters should carefully examine the voting record of Oceanside City Council member Jerry Kern before voting. Kern is running for mayor against Mayor Jim Wood. Kern has been there for six years and what has he done?

1. Cut fees for his developer friends.

2. Opposed the Vargas bill, which would have protected our water supply.

3. Abolished the transparency ordinance, which required a lobbyist to register.

4. Voted to contract out our library.

5. Threatened the homes of seniors and veterans with a costly election (Proposition E).

I want a mayor who represents our best interests. Mayor Jim Wood has proven he is a reasonable voice on the council. He has lowered the crime rate and fought to protect seniors and veterans. He listens to the people.

I am voting for Mayor Jim Wood.

Marilyn Prado

Oceanside

Think long and hard about who should run our country

As a parent of a gay child, I ask anyone who has had their child bullied or demeaned to think long and hard about who should run our country. Republicans are against gay marriage. At least the verbiage is correct, "gay marriage," not "same-sex marriage." Same sex would imply two straight men or two straight women. This is not the case; gays and lesbians belong to the gender of homosexual.

Homosexuals are born. You cannot choose to be gay. ... Our educated president knows this difference and that homosexuals deserve to marry the one they are attracted to, like all of us. ...

Give me an open-minded president, one who respects all people, not a narrow-minded one.

Peggy Hart

Carlsbad

Paul Ryan's inspiring speech

What an inspirational speech Paul Ryan gave at the Republican National Convention. He spoke of how they can fix the economy, how they can fix the high unemployment rate and how they can get America back on track.

The man knows of what he speaks, since it was his party that ruined the economy, his party that drove up high unemployment in the first place and his party that got America off track and keeping it there.

Jeffrey Stovold

Escondido

Intelligent? Us?

We, the tribes of humanity, are, without doubt, the dumbest creatures on this planet. Yes, we've become marvels of innovation ---- creating a world of comfort for ourselves; a world full of riches in food, shelter and clothing, plus all kinds of toys to amuse ourselves with during our ever-extending lives. You'd think we'd enjoy lives stress-free, and the bounty the planet provides.

But we also continue to wage war on one another, we find new and more destructive killing machines, more reasons to kill one another. We ravage the planet we live on, slowly killing its oceans, its forests, rivers and streams. The oceans are treated as trash dumps and sewer outlets, as are the rivers and streams. We eat several of the other life forms or kill them for sport. We spew gases into the air we breathe that harm our health and that of the air itself.

As our population continues to grow, those negatives will become even more toxic. We'll be at each other's throats, fighting over water, food and space, and causing even greater harm to the planet Earth and its other inhabitants.

Until some future economist finds a way to nurture economic prosperity without growth, we will continue our suicidal march to oblivion, taking the rest of the residents of the planet ---- and the planet itself ---- along with us.

Intelligent life forms? Us? You gotta be kidding me, we're the worst thing that has happened to planet Earth. Negative? Absolutely. It's time to wake up and stop the madness. Take off your armor, we're all losing.

It is not the business of the police to do the work of immigration, and I admire Sheriff Bill Gore for refusing to be pressured. His job is to "protect and serve," and he is doing it. It can't be done when people fear the police.

Coalition Chairman Cliff Sumrall wants "the ICE agents to target criminal aliens who otherwise would not be subject to arrest by local law enforcement." Excuse me?

Full disclosure: I'm a liberal. I watched all of the Republican convention on C-SPAN to get the most unbiased view.

I'm convinced that Gov. Romney is not a bad person, but when you strip away all of the flag-waving and American exceptionalism, what you are left with are the same tired Republican talking points of previous years: tax cuts for the 1 percent, saber-rattling talk about war with Iran, "drill, baby, drill," anti-gay marriage, gutting public education, and to hell with the environment.

There is no way I can vote for this man or any other candidate expressing similar views, and that includes Brian Bilbray.